The present invention is directed generally to a method of and solutions for preserving fresh-cut flowers and plant tissue and more specifically for preserving fresh-cut flowers and plant tissue for use in manufacturing applications to form permanently flexible high-wear products to be used under a wide range of temperature and humidity conditions.
Fresh flowers have been worn as accessories for many centuries, but recent trends in the fashion world have dictated the increased use of flowers also as attachments to and accessories for such items as shoes, jewelry, purses, giftware, ornaments, picture frames, corsages, bouquets, scripts, hair clips, barrettes, and shadow boxes (collectively, xe2x80x9cfloral accessoriesxe2x80x9d). But extending the lifetime of fresh-cut flowers has never progressed beyond saving the fresh-cut flowers for a few short days. As a result, using fresh-cut flowers in the floral-accessory business has been impractical. It is not realistic for manufacturers to use fresh flowers in floral-accessory applications requiring long-term wear and use. Instead, manufacturers have responded to the demand for floral accessories by creating faux flowers, using materials such as silk, plastic, rubber, beads, metal, ceramics, paper, leather, and fabric. While these materials are able to withstand the normal wear and tear of daily use, they nonetheless lack the beauty and authenticity of real flowers.
There are a considerable number of references relating to various methods of preserving flowers, plant and animal biological material, leaves, and vegetables (collectively, xe2x80x9cnatural materialsxe2x80x9d). These references include U.S. Pat. No. 2,658,836 to Fessenden; U.S. Pat. No. 3,563,780 to Waszkiewicz; U.S. Pat. No. 3,645,766 to Mazzucato; U.S. Pat. No. 3,861,053 to Rovetti; U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,205,059, 4,244,992, and 4,278,701 to von Hagens; U.S. Pat. No. 4,272,571 to Romero-Sierra et al: and U.S. Pat. No. 4,808,447 to Baker. The references are generally concerned with the preservation of natural materials for educational uses, such as studies in the natural sciences (including detailed botanical, medicinal, or industrial observation), or for commercial uses (including visual and aesthetically pleasing displays in which the materials retain a long-lasting, lifelike, and natural appearance). The references are not concerned with the suitability of the final preserved natural materials for manufacturing and therefore do not deal with the preserved natural materials"" ability to withstand flexing and physical handling on a daily basis.
Many of the references disclose dehydrating processes, including but not limited to placing natural materials in chemical solutions; burying natural materials in dry, absorbent, granular, or powdered substances; or freezing the natural materials. The purpose of the dehydrating process is to prevent decomposition, preserve color, and preserve the integrity of shape and texture. But these dehydrating processes leave the natural materials in a highly delicate condition, brittle and difficult to use. For strengthening purposes, most of the references disclose that the dehydrated natural materials are subsequently subjected to various preservation treatments, which include being embedded in or impregnated or coated with waxes, oils, glycerin, polymers, or resins to strengthen the dehydrated natural materials and ultimately make the preserved natural materials practical for whatever purpose is intended.
Many of the references describe the results of the various dehydration and preservation processes as leaving the natural materials in conditions varying from xe2x80x9csolidxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cmore rigidxe2x80x9d than the original natural material to xe2x80x9cflexible,xe2x80x9d xe2x80x9cdurable,xe2x80x9d and xe2x80x9cappearing to be alive.xe2x80x9d These are, however, relative and subjective terms that are not measurably defined.
None of the references, however, are directed to the preservation of natural materials so that the natural materials can be used in a variety of changing, diverse, and climatic conditions, such as moving from warm and moist conditions to cold and dry conditions (e.g., from going indoors to outdoors, to and from air-conditioned or humid environments, or from one to another distinctly different climate zone, such as from Arizona to Hawaii or from Florida to Alaska). These kinds of changes can adversely affect the performance and appearance of the natural materials mentioned in the references.
For example, the natural materials are generally hygroscopic and thus influenced by varying humidity. A hygroscopic flower will absorb moisture slowly, subsequently increasing the weight of the flower. Thus, and particularly if the flowers have petals with a large surface area in relation to the part of the petal that attaches to the stem (e.g., an orchid), upon absorption of moisture and the consequential weight increase, the petals will droop and the flower will be unable to retain its original integrity and shape. The absorption of moisture will eventually cause decomposition of the flower.
Further, the preservation treatments that leave the natural material nonhygroscopic are not suitable for manufacturing purposes because the natural material becomes too brittle or delicate for use. In many of the preservation treatments that render the natural materials nonhygroscopic, preservatives or artificial coloring must be added or applied to replace or overcome a loss of natural coloring.
While many of the references provide for natural materials to be treated for display or observation, none of the references cause the preserved natural materials to be resilient and flexible enough for making into and using as floral accessories. Nor were such preserved natural materials designed to withstand the rigors of daily wear, which at times may be not so much xe2x80x9cusexe2x80x9d as xe2x80x9cabuse.xe2x80x9d
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,278,701, 4,244,992, and 4,205,059 to von Hagens generally describe a curing process for converting a wide variety of human and other animal tissue to durable, solid objects retaining all the features of interest to the student of anatomy or histology. These references disclose both methods for preparing a body consisting essentially of animal or vegetal tissue, and human or animal tissues prepared by the methods disclosed. These references generally disclose replacing the water content of a water-bearing tissue with an organic solvent volatile in a vacuum at ambient temperature, holding the water-bearing tissue in contact with a fluid precursor until the organic solvent is volatilized and replaced in the water-bearing tissue by the fluid precursor, the precursor being capable of being polymerized into a solid, water-insoluble, synthetic resin, and holding the tissue under polymerization conditions until the fluid precursor is cured into a solid resin.
This invention comprises methods and compositions for the permanent preservation of plant tissue, such as fresh-cut flowers, in such a manner as to retain the original size, form, color, and texture of the plant tissue. This invention more specifically comprises using the preserved plant tissue in manufacturing applications to form permanently flexible high-wear products, including jewelry, accessories, hair clips, barrettes, attachments to clothing, attachments to accessories, and displays.
In a first preferred embodiment of this invention, the plant tissue is saturated, coated, and subsequently manufactured into a wide range of high-wear fashion jewelry and personal accessories, including but not limited to giftware and ornaments.
A second preferred embodiment of this invention includes a method for preserving plant tissue by dehydrating the plant tissue, and subsequently saturating the plant tissue with a saturating mix. If desired, the preserved plant tissue may be subsequently used in high-wear applications.
A third preferred embodiment of this invention includes a method for the preservation of plant tissue by which the plant tissue is formed in such a way that the original shape and volume of the tissue is substantially maintained. The plant tissue is subsequently dehydrated and then saturated with a saturation mix until the plant tissue is fully saturated. If desired, a coating mix is then applied to the plant tissue, thereby creating a flexible and pliable plant tissue that displays substantial elasticity and bends freely under pressure; essentially a rubberized plant tissue.
A fourth preferred embodiment of this invention is a method for the preservation of plant tissue by which the plant tissue is formed and subsequently dehydrated. Preferably, the plant tissue is then cleaned so that all by-products of the dehydration process are removed. Saturation and coating mixes are then applied to the plant tissue in the manner set forth above, and then a polishing mix is applied to the plant tissue, which protects and provides an aesthetically pleasing gloss to the plant tissue.
In all the preferred embodiments, the plant tissue is preserved so that the plant tissue gains substantial elasticity, becoming so flexible and pliable that the plant tissue bends freely under pressure.
The foregoing and other objectives, features, and advantages of the invention will be more readily understood upon consideration of the following detailed description of the invention, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.